The Tale of Mr. Tod

by Beatrix Potter

  Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Michael Ciesielski and theOnline Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  THE TALE OF MR. TOD

  BY

  BEATRIX POTTER

  _Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," etc._

  FREDERICK WARNE & CO., INC. NEW YORK

  COPYRIGHT, 1912BYFREDERICK WARNE & Co.

  _Copyright renewed 1940_(_All rights reserved_)

  PRINTED AND BOUND IN THE USAROSE PRINTING CO INC

  ISBN O 7232 0605 8

  12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (C)

  FORFRANCIS WILLIAM OF ULVA----SOMEDAY!

  THE TALE OF MR. TOD

  I have made many books about well-behaved people. Now, for a change, Iam going to make a story about two disagreeable people, called TommyBrock and Mr. Tod.

  Nobody could call Mr. Tod "nice." The rabbits could not bear him; theycould smell him half a mile off. He was of a wandering habit and he hadfoxey whiskers; they never knew where he would be next.

  One day he was living in a stick-house in the coppice, causing terror tothe family of old Mr. Benjamin Bouncer. Next day he moved into a pollardwillow near the lake, frightening the wild ducks and the water rats.

  In winter and early spring he might generally be found in an earthamongst the rocks at the top of Bull Banks, under Oatmeal Crag.

  He had half a dozen houses, but he was seldom at home.

  The houses were not always empty when Mr. Tod moved _out_; becausesometimes Tommy Brock moved _in_; (without asking leave).

  Tommy Brock was a short bristly fat waddling person with a grin; hegrinned all over his face. He was not nice in his habits. He ate waspnests and frogs and worms; and he waddled about by moonlight, diggingthings up.

  His clothes were very dirty; and as he slept in the day-time, he alwayswent to bed in his boots. And the bed which he went to bed in, wasgenerally Mr. Tod's.

  Now Tommy Brock did occasionally eat rabbit-pie; but it was only verylittle young ones occasionally, when other food was really scarce. Hewas friendly with old Mr. Bouncer; they agreed in disliking the wickedotters and Mr. Tod; they often talked over that painful subject.

  Old Mr. Bouncer was stricken in years. He sat in the spring sunshineoutside the burrow, in a muffler; smoking a pipe of rabbit tobacco.

  He lived with his son Benjamin Bunny and his daughter-in-law Flopsy, whohad a young family. Old Mr. Bouncer was in charge of the family thatafternoon, because Benjamin and Flopsy had gone out.

  The little rabbit-babies were just old enough to open their blue eyesand kick. They lay in a fluffy bed of rabbit wool and hay, in a shallowburrow, separate from the main rabbit hole. To tell the truth--old Mr.Bouncer had forgotten them.

  He sat in the sun, and conversed cordially with Tommy Brock, who waspassing through the wood with a sack and a little spud which he used fordigging, and some mole traps. He complained bitterly about thescarcity of pheasants' eggs, and accused Mr. Tod of poaching them. Andthe otters had cleared off all the frogs while he was asleep inwinter--"I have not had a good square meal for a fortnight, I am livingon pig-nuts. I shall have to turn vegetarian and eat my own tail!" saidTommy Brock.

  It was not much of a joke, but it tickled old Mr. Bouncer; because TommyBrock was so fat and stumpy and grinning.

  So old Mr. Bouncer laughed; and pressed Tommy Brock to come inside, totaste a slice of seed-cake and "a glass of my daughter Flopsy's cowslipwine." Tommy Brock squeezed himself into the rabbit hole with alacrity.

  Then old Mr. Bouncer smoked another pipe, and gave Tommy Brock a cabbageleaf cigar which was so very strong that it made Tommy Brock grin morethan ever; and the smoke filled the burrow. Old Mr. Bouncer coughed andlaughed; and Tommy Brock puffed and grinned.

  And Mr. Bouncer laughed and coughed, and shut his eyes because of thecabbage smoke....

  When Flopsy and Benjamin came back--old Mr. Bouncer woke up. Tommy Brockand all the young rabbit-babies had disappeared!

  Mr. Bouncer would not confess that he had admitted anybody into therabbit hole. But the smell of badger was undeniable; and there wereround heavy footmarks in the sand. He was in disgrace; Flopsy wrung herears, and slapped him.

  Benjamin Bunny set off at once after Tommy Brock.

  There was not much difficulty in tracking him; he had left his foot-markand gone slowly up the winding footpath through the wood. Here he hadrooted up the moss and wood sorrel. There he had dug quite a deep holefor dog darnel; and had set a mole trap. A little stream crossed theway. Benjamin skipped lightly over dry-foot; the badger's heavy stepsshowed plainly in the mud.

  The path led to a part of the thicket where the trees had been cleared;there were leafy oak stumps, and a sea of blue hyacinths--but the smellthat made Benjamin stop, was _not_ the smell of flowers!

  Mr. Tod's stick house was before him and, for once, Mr. Tod was at home.There was not only a foxey flavour in proof of it--there was smokecoming out of the broken pail that served as a chimney.

  Benjamin Bunny sat up, staring; his whiskers twitched. Inside the stickhouse somebody dropped a plate, and said something. Benjamin stamped hisfoot, and bolted.

  He never stopped till he came to the other side of the wood. ApparentlyTommy Brock had turned the same way. Upon the top of the wall, therewere again the marks of badger; and some ravellings of a sack had caughton a briar.

  Benjamin climbed over the wall, into a meadow. He found another moletrap newly set; he was still upon the track of Tommy Brock. It wasgetting late in the afternoon. Other rabbits were coming out to enjoythe evening air. One of them in a blue coat by himself, was busilyhunting for dandelions.--"Cousin Peter! Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit!"shouted Benjamin Bunny.

  The blue coated rabbit sat up with pricked ears--

  "Whatever is the matter, Cousin Benjamin? Is it a cat? or John StoatFerret?"

  "No, no, no! He's bagged my family--Tommy Brock--in a sack--have youseen him?"

  "Tommy Brock? how many, Cousin Benjamin?"

  "Seven, Cousin Peter, and all of them twins! Did he come this way?Please tell me quick!"

  "Yes, yes; not ten minutes since ... he said they were _caterpillars_; Idid think they were kicking rather hard, for caterpillars."

  "Which way? which way has he gone, Cousin Peter?"

  "He had a sack with something 'live in it; I watched him set a moletrap. Let me use my mind, Cousin Benjamin; tell me from the beginning."Benjamin did so.

  "My Uncle Bouncer has displayed a lamentable want of discretion for hisyears;" said Peter reflectively, "but there are two hopefulcircumstances. Your family is alive and kicking; and Tommy Brock has hadrefreshment. He will probably go to sleep, and keep them for breakfast.""Which way?" "Cousin Benjamin, compose yourself. I know very well whichway. Because Mr. Tod was at home in the stick-house he has gone to Mr.Tod's other house, at the top of Bull Banks. I partly know, because heoffered to leave any message at Sister Cottontail's; he said he would bepassing." (Cottontail had married a black rabbit, and gone to live onthe hill).

  Peter hid his dandelions, and accompanied the afflicted parent, who wasall of a twitter. They crossed several fields and began to climb thehill; the tracks of Tommy Brock were plainly to be seen. He seemed tohave put down the sack every dozen yards, to rest.

  "He must be very puffed; we are close behind him, by the scent. What anasty person!" said Peter.

  The sunshine was still warm and slanting on the hill pastures. Half wayup, Cottontail was sitting in her doorway, with four or five half-grownlittle rabbits playing about her; one black and the others brown.

  Cottontail had seen Tommy Brock passing in the distance. Asked whetherher husband was at home she replied that Tommy Brock had rested twicewhile she watched him.

  He had nodded, and pointed to th
e sack, and seemed doubled up withlaughing.--"Come away, Peter; he will be cooking them; come quicker!"said Benjamin Bunny.

  They climbed up and up;--"He was at home; I saw his black ears peepingout of the hole." "They live too near the rocks to quarrel with theirneighbours. Come on, Cousin Benjamin!"

  When they came near the wood at the top of Bull Banks, they wentcautiously. The trees grew amongst heaped up rocks; and there, beneath acrag--Mr. Tod had made one of his homes. It was at the top of a steepbank; the rocks and bushes overhung it. The rabbits crept up carefully,listening and peeping.

  This house was something between a cave, a prison, and a tumbledownpig-stye. There was a strong door, which was shut and locked.

  The setting sun made the window panes glow